The journey wasn't long, but it was definitely unpleasant.
Even though the Hundred Year War pushed the Fire Nation into rapid technological growth, most of that development went straight into military advancement.
Civilian life didn't benefit much at all.
The saber-toothed moose-lion they rode was nowhere near as fast as a car, nor did it have the comfort of any modern vehicle Kahn was used to.
The scenery wasn't anything special.
Yet as they passed through several small towns and villages, Kahn finally realized that the war's impact on the Fire Nation was far worse than he had imagined.
The first thing he noticed was the lopsided gender ratio.
Whether in towns or remote villages, women, children, and the elderly made up the overwhelming majority.
There were hardly any adult men.
Then came the scarcity of supplies. Aside from a few larger towns, most settlements were visibly impoverished, their hardships written plainly into daily life.
As for whether the common people supported this century-long war… no one spoke of it aloud, but the answer was easy to guess.
It is always the common people who suffer.
The thought surfaced in Kahn's mind uninvited.
Seeing these scenes made his earlier assumptions feel naïve. The Fire Nation's prosperity and stability only existed for those who benefitted from the system.
For ordinary civilians, a hundred years was long enough to forget what "peace" even looked like. Numb endurance was all they had left.
Lost in these thoughts, he and Azula eventually reached the Fire Nation's final transit point.
From there, they boarded a ship bound for the Earth Kingdom and finally arrived at a military encampment near the frontlines.
According to the map, the Earth Kingdom was once the largest nation by territory.
But after decades of invasion, the Fire Nation had seized almost half that land.
Even so, traveling here required extreme caution—enemy patrols could appear anywhere at any time, especially Earthbenders.
In a way, Earthbenders really were the natural counters to Firebenders.
Fortunately, their journey remained uneventful, and they safely arrived at the frontline military camp.
After a night of rest, Benson—the general in charge—reported the current situation to Azula.
The rebel force they were ordered to eliminate had originally been a small unit under their current command structure.
The group had only been assigned to this region after Fire Lord Ozai took the throne.
This time, the main army received orders to attack a nearby Earth Kingdom town, and that defecting unit was placed at the front of the assault.
The outcome was obvious.
Though the rebels initially escaped, intelligence teams later traced fragments of their movements. Now it fell to Azula and Kahn to hunt down and eradicate them.
"Our units have sealed off most exit routes," Benson explained inside the strategy tent, tapping several zones marked on the large tactical map.
"But the remaining areas are rugged and dangerous. The terrain slows down our search teams significantly."
Based on the limited clues they had, Benson believed the rebels were hiding somewhere within those marked regions.
However, most of these defectors had followed General Iroh during his earlier campaigns in the Earth Kingdom.
Their familiarity with the terrain was far greater than that of the current forces, and even with a careful encirclement, the Fire Nation army struggled to flush them out.
"Additionally, their strength shouldn't be underestimated," Benson added, ending with a forced, flattering smile.
"But since Princess Azula personally leads this reinforcement, our victory is assured."
"Well done. Keep to the current plan," Azula replied coolly.
Kahn stood silently behind her like a proper bodyguard. This wasn't the time or place for him to speak.
One wrong word here would cause more trouble than anything else—just like Zuko.
Benson seemed relieved that Azula didn't suddenly overturn his strategy.
To him, Azula might have had a terrifying reputation, but she was still only a ten-year-old princess brought here to "gain experience," along with a slightly older boy he assumed was just another noble's child.
The only real reinforcements, in his eyes, were the elite Royal Guards accompanying them.
With their presence, the slow but steady strategy of attrition would work.
They didn't need to take risks. They could exhaust the rebels over time. The mission was already half-won.
After the briefing, Azula and Kahn toured the camp under the watchful escort of several Royal Guards, almost as if they were simply sightseeing.
Soldiers whispered among themselves, curious about the young royal visitors.
Benson didn't bother stopping them. Instead, he busied himself networking with the captain of the Royal Guards.
Building connections mattered more than battlefield courage—everyone in the Fire Nation military understood that.
Later, Azula and Kahn were assigned separate tents due to their status. Each tent was guarded at night, with Azula's having an especially heavy security presence.
After dinner, Azula ordered her guards to remain outside and stepped into Kahn's tent.
Inside, Kahn was studying a military map—not Benson's copy, but a freshly drawn one based on the information they'd heard earlier.
He looked up at Azula. "Where do you think they're hiding?"
"Probably in these few areas," she said, casually pointing at several spots while eliminating many of Benson's earlier guesses.
Of course, it wasn't random. Azula's deductions were always razor-sharp, but to Kahn, it looked like effortless intuition bordering on magic.
Strategy wasn't his strong suit. All he could do was trust her judgment.
After trimming down the possibilities, it was finally his turn to act.
With Azula guarding the tent entrance, Kahn sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, and entered a meditative state.
A moment later, his soul slipped free from his body.
...
Author's Note:
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